editable secondary school transition booklet template

Getting ready to transfer from Primary School to Secondary School Name: Primary School: Secondary School: _ Outline of Additional Needs Name: Additional Needs: • • • • • • Areas of Strength: • • • • • • Areas of Greatest Difficulty: • • • • • • Practical Strategies • • • • • Copies to all tutors who teach …………………………… Student’s photo Goodbye Primary School, Hello Secondary School! My New School Find a picture or photo of your new school and stick it here When you know which School you are going to go to in September, it is a good idea to find out as much information as you can before you start The name of the School is The address is _ _ The telephone number is _ The e-mail address is The website address is _ The name of the head teacher is Going to Secondary School How you feel? These could be useful to think about when you think about changing school Use two different coloured highlighters, highlight the phrases that you are looking forward to in one colour; use a different colour for those you are worried about Or cut them out and stick them into the boxes on the next page Making new friends Learning a new timetable Dinner time Taking a shower Having a different uniform Being on time Finding way around Break times Getting to school Learning new subjects Meeting others my own age Joining clubs Being with friends School rules Homework Meeting my new tutor Meeting my new teachers Being able to the work Being with older pupils Getting changed for sport / PE If you have cut out the phrases from the previous page, paste them into the appropriate box Worries Happy A solution-focused approach Think about something that worries you about moving to Secondary School OK 10 Not OK What is the worry? _ On the scale of to 10 how worried are you? _ Think of a time when you have been worried before _ What helped you move down the scale that time? _ _ Where on the scale would you like to feel in a month, months and in a year? _ _ What would help you move one point nearer? _ What will have changed so you know you are less worried? Secondary School question sheet Secondary School: _ Address of School: Telephone Number: _ Questions about how the School works What time does School start/ finish? What times are break-times and lunch time? What sort of food is sold? How much things cost? Where students go at lunch time? What snacks can you buy? How much homework you get? What happens if it isn’t done? Where can I my homework in my free time? What happens if I get into trouble? What are the punishments? Who’s the best person to talk to if I am having problems? How am I rewarded for my work? Best way to find out Answer Joining-in Joining in conversation or a group activity can be scary However, it is one way to make new friends Try these strategies for joining in Watch and listen Observe what the group is doing Listen to what the people are saying Don’t interrupt Make a friendly comment or gesture Nod your head and smile Make comments like, “That’s a good idea”, or “That looks great” Find something you have in common with the group Think about your own experiences You could say, “I saw that movie”, or “ I have that game at home” Keep your comments short Ask to join the group Wait for a pause in the conversation You could say, “Can I walk with you?” “Do you need any help?” or “Can I play?” Accept ‘no’ for an answer Sometimes people don’t want you to be part of the group Don’t argue or complain Go and ask someone else Joining-in Situations Here are some situations you might want to join in with Try and plan what you may say or You could try acting these situations out You see three of your classmates playing football after school You know one of them pretty well You don’t know the other two You’re quite good at being in goal What could you do? What could you say? _ You hear two classmates talking about the latest playstation game You were playing on it last night What could you do? _ What could you say? Two classmates you know are gathered around a phone A third classmate is calling a local radio station to try to win a contest You think you may know the answer What could you do? _ What could you say? Four classmates are looking at a text message they have received from a friend They are laughing You’re sitting at the same lunch table You like sending text messages What could you do? What could you say? _ Two classmates are asking the teacher for permission to work on an art project during lunch hour Art is your best subject and your project is already on display What could you do? _ What could you say? Being with friends Sometimes you have to think carefully about how you act with different people and whom you can share information with Getting it right It is important to behave differently with different people Using the concentric circles sheet, work out who you would act in these ways with You may choose more than one group of people Who would you hug? Who would you use swear words with? Who could you tell what to do? Who can you argue with? Who can you share your sweets with? Make up your own: Sharing information about yourself It is important to talk to people to share an event, achievement or tell them about a problem Sometimes you have to be careful whom you talk to Some people may tease you if you are not good friends or they may not keep the information to themselves and share it with others Who would you tell these things to? Use the concentric circles to decide who you would share the information with You still cuddle your teddy at night You fancy the girl or boy next door You have won a competition You have not done your homework You hate peas Make up your own: Concentric Circles Anyone Teacher Friend Family No one Sharing information Sometimes friends will tell you information It can be OK to tell other people some bits of information Other information you should tell no one, these are considered to be secrets It can be tempting to share secrets, but think: • • • How will my friend feel if I share this secret? How will this affect our friendship? How would I feel if my friend shared a secret like this about me? Who could you tell these things to? Your friend says that they like Sam Your friend says their Dad is in jail Your friend says they are going to watch a film tonight Your friend says they hate wearing school uniform Your friend says he smokes Make up your own: Tell anyone Tell a friend Tell no one Awkward Situations Facts about bullying Bullying: • Is any behaviour by an individual or a group that deliberately harms another • Can be physical or involve threats of physical harm • Can be name-calling or spoken teasing • Can be demanding money of things, or making someone something they not want to • Can involve excluding someone (deliberately leaving someone out of an activity, ignoring them etc.) • Is usually repeated over a period of time • Takes place when one person or group has more power than the person or group being bullied Bullying is not: • An accidental bump or jostle, in the school corridor, for example • An argument with a friend • A friend being nasty over something specific • A one-off fight or argument Why people bully? • Very few people who are happy with themselves bully others • Sometimes bullies have been bullied themselves - they are looking for someone to take their anger out on • Sometimes bullies are jealous • Bullying can make people feel strong, respected and powerful, but they often feel bad too What to about bullying What can you if you are bullied? • Keep being positive; say positive things about yourself and other people • Be proud of who and what you are (we all belong to different groups and are all equally valuable) • Don’t keep it to yourself: Always tell someone- a teacher, a parent or another adult • Think about the consequences of the different ways you might deal with bullying • Some ways of dealing with it are:- Ignoring it or staying relaxed, fogging (see next page) - Being assertive- using your body language, eye-contact, tone of voice, words you say - Remember why people bully Six good reasons to tell: • You have the right to live without the stress or fear of being bullied • Taking action is better than doing nothing • There is nothing embarrassing about being bullied- think how many people it happens to • It is braver to tell than to hide it • If you think there is something wrong with you, is it because the bullies have made you feel this way? This is a common effect of being bullied and IT IS NOT TRUE • Bullying does not say anything about YOU It says a lot about the BULLY (If you call me a hippopotamus does it mean that I am one?) Creating a Fog Creating a ‘Fog’ is a technique that you can use if you feel you are being bullied • Remind yourself that the bully has said this to many other people - what they say tells us more about the bully than about you • The bully wants to see your reaction - don’t give them that satisfaction • Imagine a huge cloud of fog around you that swallows up insults so that they cannot affect you • Use a normal bored-sounding voice • Say something neutral: • “Yeah, whatever” • “If you say so” • “Well, you could be right” • “maybe” • “Ummm” • “Yes that’s true, I wear glasses” • Make sure your body language, tone of voice and the words you use all give the same message: ‘I’m really not bothered by anything you say or do’ Stick with it It might not work the first time Asking for help Sometimes at school things may be difficult or may go wrong These things could be small: - not knowing what the homework is - not being able to find your way around Or could be bigger: - getting into trouble - finding the work hard There are many people who could help you, but they won’t know that you need help unless you tell them Friends Ask friends or other students if you don’t know where to go You can ask them what the homework was if you are not certain They can also help to work out new situations like going to the cafeteria Teachers Ask your teachers if you don’t know what to in class or for homework They will also be able to help you if you have forgotten something or don’t know where to go People at home People at home will be able to help you plan and organise your equipment and homework They will want to know if you have any problems They will be able to help you work out the best person to ask if you have problems with work or may try and contact someone in school and ask them to help you Try and work out whom you would approach in these situations: • You don’t know where your next lesson is • You cannot read your homework notes • You have got into trouble for forgetting your course book several times • In the lesson you did not understand what the teacher wanted you to • You have not got a pencil which is needed to complete your work REMEMBER TO ASK FOR HELP! Saying sorry If you break a school rule or behave in a way that upsets or hurts someone then you can show you are sorry by apologising Sometimes this can be hard as it can be difficult to admit that you are wrong Here are some examples of times when you may need to say sorry When you forget something • If you forget something, it is not a big problem Everyone forgets things and it is always a good idea to say you are sorry • Imagine you have forgotten something Practise saying the right words with a partner and then it will be easier when it does happen For example: “I am sorry Sir / Miss I’m not used to my timetable yet and I’ve forgotten to bring the right book I will remember it for the next lesson.” When you make a mistake • Mistakes can sometimes happen because you did not really understand what the teacher meant Some things may be different from what you are used to and if you pretend that you understand when you don’t the teacher will not know that you need help • Think up a situation in which you have not understood exactly what the teacher meant and discuss this with a partner Take turns to explain to the teacher what has happened For example: “I am sorry Sir / Miss, I have been listening, but I don’t understand Please could you tell me again.” Settling into Secondary School (and how to solve the problems you might face) Sometimes something can happen at school that makes you upset or anxious A lot of people feel like this especially when they are starting somewhere new • Keep calm Tell yourself, “I can solve this problem if I stay calm.” • Decide what the problem is - Are you frustrated because you could not something you wanted? - Are you upset because someone did something to you? - Are you worried because something has gone wrong? • Think about possible solutions • Think about the consequences What will happen if you try different solutions? • Pick the best solution Talk with a friend about what you would in each of these situations in school You haven’t done your homework You have forgotten your student planner You are in a crowd going upstairs and you think someone pushed you You think you are lost You see someone being bullied You find someone crying in the corridor You’ve lost your purse/ wallet You see someone stealing money from someone’s bag You find someone’s purse 10 You’ve ripped your trousers/ skirt ...Getting ready to transfer from Primary School to Secondary School Name: Primary School: Secondary School: _ Outline... Student’s photo Goodbye Primary School, Hello Secondary School! My New School Find a picture or photo of your new school and stick it here When you know which School you are going to go to in... Secondary School question sheet Secondary School: _ Address of School: Telephone Number: _ Questions about how the School